The Department of Defense announced today a $219,680 grant from its Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) to Allen County, Ohio to provide economic adjustment assistance in response to layoffs from reduced defense procurement at the joint systems manufacturing center in Shawnee Township.

These federal funds are part of a larger $244,680 project where the local region will begin planning to expand job creation opportunities and assist those businesses and workers that may be adversely impacted by the reduction in defense procurement. This project will include: developing an economic development action plan to leverage regional assets and align them with known economic recovery needs; conducting a review of local DoD procurement and potential vulnerabilities in the regional economy to further defense reductions; and, developing a regional workforce plan to address gaps in workforce skills, prepare affected workers to be competitive for job opportunities, and help to preserve a regional industrial base capacity.

The grant is awarded under OEA's Defense Industry Adjustment Program to assist states and communities which have been significantly impacted by reductions or cancellations in DoD spending. States and communities can request OEA assistance to: organize themselves to respond on behalf of affected communities, workers, and businesses; plan local community and economic adjustment activities to lessen local economic impacts; and, carry-out plans to replace lost economic activity. OEA project managers work with impacted areas to coordinate a broader program of assistance from across the federal government when necessary. Proposals are considered for funding on a rolling basis and are subject to the availability of appropriations.

Further information about this program may be found on OEA's website at www.oea.gov. The point of contact for this award is Allen County Administrator Becky Saine. She can be contacted by email,bsaine@allencountyohio.com, or phone, 419-223-8503.